If Music Is Loud, It Gets Stuck in My Head

Ever since I had this weird incident with what seemed to have been an ear infection in June, if I'm exposed to loud environments, or loud music, it'll sort off get stuck in my head, and it'll be vaguely familiar to what I was hearing, so if it's 70s music, it'll be something akin to that.

The weird thing is, it usually happens with music, and it's very unnerving. Loudness is definitely the trigger. On my days off it doesn't happen, so the loud music at work is definitely the culprit, maybe also repetition.

If I do meditation ohms, it makes it softer and less loud, but still I just want quiet when I get off work. Clonazepam really helps, basically almost any sedative may have the potential to quiet it a bit.

I feel lost, I'm seeing my ENT this Monday August 15th, and I already know what he's going to say, that he can't find anything wrong with my ear. I'll request to get a referral to a neuro-otologist.

I feel so alone sometimes, I hope it resolves itself.

 

Does your work involve listening to loud music a lot? Any way to change your work conditions or take a good break from that to give your ears some rest?

 

I work inside a Best Buy, and their sound system is dead, so they use those loud wireless speakers, and they're loud and they've been playing 70s music all day, and yes, I'm seriously thinking about taking a week's break. Ever since I went to a fair it's easier to set it off.

 

Sounds dreadful. Any possibility at all of working at another place that doesn't involve loud noises?

 

Gonna talk to the store manager, we'll see what happens. Hopefully they'll just keep the volume at an audible volume, but we'll see.

 

Palinacousis.

I guess it would be worth having a brain scan to rule out what it says at the end of the description, but then I wouldn't panic about it either, as I have a relative with the same thing; they've had it for over a decade now, and they've never exhibited any of the other symptoms.

 

So basically their symptoms never went away? Or you mean the growth was left alone and never developed into something more serious? I really don't want to have this forever.

 

So the relative in question had a brain scan in 2008, the same year their tinnitus and palinacousis started. Nothing untoward was ever detected in those scans, however they've continued to suffer palinacousis intermittently over the last fifteen years despite this.

Therefore, I suppose what I'm trying to say, is that the cause commonly being as a result of brain lesions or tumours, like many tinnitus related medical consensus, is probably incorrect or otherwise greatly exaggerated for lack of any real understanding.

It can't hurt to mention this to an actual doctor (if you're even able to get an appointment with one anymore where you are) and see if they recommend a brain scan. But after fifteen years, this would have to be one very lethargic tumour or set of lesions, to have gone undetected and lay dormant without creating any new and unpleasant symptoms in said family member, were it to actually be the culprit.

More likely, palinacousis, like hyperacusis and tinnitus, is your brain trying to make sense of the resultant missing input, post-SHC loss, and doing some pretty crazy sh*t as a consequence. This is of course, just my personal theory (far be it for me to argue with established medicinal science...), but undeniably, everything mentioned on this forum is just one big Rubik's Cube waiting to be solved.

Anyway, over time the relative has become accustomed to their head recreating noises they've recently heard for days and weeks on end, and it appears they now go longer and longer stretches without it happening at all. So for all you know, this may become less severe for you over time (just like with tinnitus itself; should you avoid further damage), or if you're lucky, just completely stop altogether.

 

I'm surprised they didn't try treating the lesion with drugs. I really hope this just resolves itself, there was someone else in here that had similar issues. Mine just lasts a few hours, and will usually soften if I meditate. Also the guy here I was talking to, his resolved itself after 10 months.

I do have some hearing loss I'm sure, but I can still conversations fine though. When my girlfriend whispers to me I can still hear her, even though I have to pay more close attention. As for my ears, I wear protection wherever I go, I no longer even use my headphones.

EDIT: Upon reading this again, I misinterpreted what you wrote. So your family member didn't have any lesions in the brain? I'm getting a brain scan soon, and hopefully I won't have anything. However, it still concerns me that I may end up dealing with this for years. Do you know more people here with the same issue as mine?

 

Hey again @in_LA, I'm going to respond to all your questions and posts here, so other people with similar issues can more easily find our discussion in future.

That is correct.

My belief is that it is unlikely anything sinister will be found (i.e. lesions or brain tumours).

Also, make sure to find the quietest MRI you can in your state, and wear double protection (ear defenders and earplugs) during it.

I do, but I believe you have already tracked most of them down:

@Matchbox, @kuromi, @ZFire etc.

So I avoid these kinds of sounds anyway, and as a result my experience with them over the last 13 years has generally been quite low; meaning I can't relate to those of you who are routinely exposed to loud noise and then become stuck with recreating it for x amount of hours/days etc.

However last summer an apartment in my area was frequently hosting all night house parties from which the bass was inescapable (even with X5A ear defenders on). The worst part was, I began no longer being able to discern when the parties were actually happening, as the bass appeared to have embedded itself inside my skull. It would be 7am in the morning, and I could swear their music was still playing, but when I walked around my apartment building and it's neighbouring apartment buildings, I couldn't find any source.

So I never found the apartment, and the parties have now ceased, but yes, this would appear to be a case of palinacousis, where I was hearing something and then involuntarily replicating it on and off, to the point where I could no longer tell when the sound was externally realised, or neurologically projected.

Posts where I've discussed my hearing loss:

Can You Habituate to Reactive Tinnitus? | Page 4 | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

Frequency Therapeutics — Hearing Loss Regeneration | Page 643 | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

Damocles | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

TL;DR: I believe I have hidden hearing loss (because my hearing is way above average, but there is no way my ears could have escaped the punishment I subjected them to in the past completely unscathed), but refuse to undergo a hearing test, because I'm not taking any more risks.

Did you mention the palinacousis to them? and if so, what did they say?

 

My ENT didn't know what the hell I was even talking about. I insisted on an MRI, and she referred me House Ear Institute in Los Angeles. Hopefully I can gain better perspective there. I'm just afraid that I may never be able to listen to music like I used to. Do you know if anyone has been able to resume listening to music again and not taking the mimicry with them? I'm 42 and I'm not expecting miracles, but I do have it under control if my environment is not super loud and bassy. Since my second round of Prednisone my hearing is accurate again.

However, Prednisone did make my hearing way more sensitive, and probably gave me some hyperacusis, but since it's been about 8 days, my sound tolerance is resuming to some level of baseline, though when I get off work, I still take home with me whatever they were playing at work which has really ramped up my anxiety.

I'm supposed to see a band named Cannons in September. I don't if I should still go. How can I provide myself with maximum protection? Also, before all this happened I went to a show (Emo Night) and had been taking Sildenafil often, and I'm sure you know what that can do to hearing in some cases. Though my hearing test did come back normal, my left ear is slightly below normal, and I suspect that's where the problem comes from.

 

Lmfao!

 

Maximum protection are those Peltor X5A earmuffs. But you'll look funny. I own quite a few pair.

I wouldn't go to the concert. Nor would I work at a Best Buy.

 

Sounds about right.

I sympathise with your concern, but there are worse fates than this, trust me.

You can ask people on the forum (I think @ZFire already shared his experience with you), but I can only speak for the one family member I know who has this.

In their case, they regularly listen to music (at any volume they like) because they don't have reactive tinnitus, and their palinacousis mostly imitates monotonous sounds like alarms, driers and air-con units, not music.

I pretty much agree with everything @Mike TerMaaten said.

Right now you're not too bad. You're suffering palinacousis, which going by experiences shared on the forum appears to improve for most people over time, and you're able to work in a store; therefore I assume, don't have severe tinnitus or hyperacusis.

If I'm right in these assumptions, then you should count yourself very lucky, as many of us are homebound and drowning in an ever-growing torrent of unbearable sound.

I'm not saying this to be harsh, but if you wreck your life because you couldn't bring yourself to skip a live concert, are you going to be able to come to terms with that?

You of course, are the only person who can answer this. You have my best wishes all the same.

 

Thanx for the pep talk bro. I agree, I'm very lucky, my tinnitus is very mild most times and under control.

And yeah I think I'll be ok, people with tumors have sudden hearing loss in one ear, and balance issues. I think my brain is rewiring itself again from all the years of abuse I put my ears through even though I always wore ear protection and have normal hearing, though I probably have hidden hearing loss.

Just letting you know I consider you a friend. I appreciate all the support that I've gotten here. All the people that have commented I want to say thank you to!

 

This sounds so wild. I cannot fathom what this is like. Is it tones or actual music? I hear music in my head but it’s my imagination. I assume that’s not the case for you?

If you’re literally hearing made up 70s music in your head, you should learn to make music and get it recorded! Hah.

 

Luckily it's mostly under control. I just need to avoid loud places. The music I hear is vaguely familiar to what was played. It lasts a few hours. If I go to sleep it goes away completely.

 

But I assume since this is brain based, it kinda sounds like when you imagine a song? Or it truly sounds like someone is playing music?

 

The music at times can get so loud I can't even distinguish where the sound comes from. It is extremely unnerving and stressful. The music is quite real. I'm hoping it'll go away one day.